10 best-performing stocks of 2011

10 best-performing stocks of 2011

These S&P 500 companies are bucking bearish trends in the market to post substantial gains. Here's how they're doing it.

Against the grain

The year's top performers on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index ($INX) form an eclectic group. But the two biggest winners are oil and gas companies, with gains in excess of 80% as of Dec. 20.

The best-performing companies are worth a look because they've put up solid returns while swimming against a powerful current. With just a few trading days left in 2011, 288 of the S&P 500 companies were in negative territory for the year to date.

Volatility can be an investor's friend, but the roller coaster that 2011 has been has driven some to seek safer havens. For example, for four days in August, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) alternated between gains and losses of more than 400 points, the longest such streak ever. read more

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5 Easy Steps to Becoming a Millionaire

5 Easy Steps to Becoming a Millionaire

Who wouldn't want to be worth a million dollars? Many of us dream of achieving this goal, more often than not for the sake of the freedom financial stability would bring. So how can we get there? The answers are actually much easier than you might expect. Here are several easy steps to get you into the millionaires' club. (With a little discipline and the help of some powerful savings vehicles, anyone can hit this mark.)
1. Only Marry Once
According to "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D and William D. Danko, Ph.D, the average millionaire is married with three children. The wives of these millionaires are good budgeters and most often described as even more frugal than their husbands. Interestingly, according to Stanley and Danko's survey, half of these wives do no work outside the home and of those who do, they are most likely teachers.
One upside of only marrying once is avoiding the costs of divorce and of subsequent weddings. The cost of a divorce depends on many factors including income, attorney fees, court fees, and the assets a couple has and how they are divided. The average wedding cost in the United States in 2010, according to The Wedding Report.com, was $24,070.

2. Live Off One Income
One of the advantages of having a life partner is the potential to pull in two incomes. If you are able, consider structuring your set expenses based on only one income, and save what comes in from the other income. Doing so strengthens your financial position in two ways: In case of an emergency or if one partner loses their job, you will not only have less set expenses to cover, but you will also have built up your net worth as a safety measure.
3. Choose the Right Career
According to The Millionaire Next Door, "self-employed people make up less than 20% of the workers in America but account for two-thirds of the millionaires." The book goes on to list an average of 45 to 55 hours spent working per week, so by no means is this the self-employed fantasy of playing golf while your business grows.

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How to Criticize Your Boss

How to Criticize Your Boss

Q: How can you tell your senior manager that they use a catch phrase too much in conversation? Phrases like "well obviously," "you know," and, my personal favorite, "to be honest" can cause them to disengage with their audience and diminish their effectiveness as speakers.


A: Your concerns are well justified, but you'll want to put a lot of thought into how you approach your manager on this topic. Just as important as what you say to him or her is how you say it. Depending on the relationship you have with your boss as well as the tone you use, it could work to bring you closer or end up causing a rift, say experts.

"Any time you are offering unsolicited advice, you run the risk of alienating versus helping," explains Jodie Charlop, founder of Atlanta-based career coaching firm Potential Matters. "It adds to the complexity if there is a power differential."



Timing also matters, says Tracey Trottenberg, a Los Angeles-based leadership trainer, coach, and speaker. "Catch them in a moment when they're more receptive and not racing around or short on time," she recommends. Still, the conversation doesn't have to be long or drawn out, she says. "It can be delivered simply and to the point."

In addition to your tone and timing, you'll also want to consider your motivation. "If you are coming from a place of truly wanting to help [your] manager, then you'll have a higher probability of finding the right words and approach," says Ms. Charlop. But if you're bringing this up with your manager because the habit is driving you nuts, don't let your emotions push you to be too blunt.
It is quite common for people to feel like they need to correct or "fix" others, she says. Often, people justify their actions with the idea that they are helping the person in question. "But the fact is we are judging by our own personal standards," says Ms. Charlop.

When you're ready to bring it up, find a safe setting and ask permission to talk about something that you've observed in your informal conversations. "Share how it is impacting you," says Ms. Charlop. For example, you could say something along the lines of: "Bob, I value your expertise. I've observed in our conversations that you use the catch phrase 'you know' many times in our conversation -- so much, I find it hinders my ability to really hear you." Then, follow it up with a positive. "It's important to me that we have great communication."
Rather than singling out your manager, try to make him or her a part of a larger class or group, suggests crisis management expert Davia Temin.

Years ago, when Ms. Temin worked as a marketing director for a major investment bank, she was asked by the bank's president to help fix some of the senior managers' poor table manners. Rather than approach the managers directly, Ms. Temin says she hired two men to coach them as a group on communication skills. By Ms. Temin's design, the first meeting was held over breakfast in the corporate dining room and the bankers were handed copies of "Tiffany's Table Manners for Teenagers." Then, the consultants talked about the importance of table manners, she recalls. "I orchestrated it all, and the message got through."

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What Not to Buy at Ikea

What Not to Buy at Ikea Five things you shouldn't buy at Ikea

Ikea offers sleek, modern design at such reasonable prices it’s no wonder that the average customer in the United States drives 50 miles round trip to shop the inspiration rooms (and inevitably dine at the equally impressive smorgasbord of cafeteria food). While we’re huge fans of the Scandinavian design behemoth's trendy home accents, chic wall art, graphic rugs, and highly functional accent furniture, there are certain things not worth the trip. Here are five items you’d be wise to re-think:


1.    Mattresses
When it comes to mattresses, the saying you get what you pay for rings true. And because getting consistent good nights’ sleeps is crucial for your health, opting for a quality mattress is a wise investment. Ikea offers mattresses at a price range from $80 for a simple, twin-sized spring mattress to $649 for a king-size foam mattress. While the latter promises pressure-relieving and temperature-stabilizing technology at a seemingly reasonable price, the price structure is a bit misleading. To walk away from Ikea with a complete bed set, you’d have to purchase three more items:  A bed base, foundation, and at least one mattress pad, adding almost $500 more to your total cost. What seems like a good deal on the surface, actually turns out to be what you’d be spend  for a full set at any other mattress retailer, such as Mancini’s Sleep World or Sleep Train. Furthermore, you don’t get the free delivery and set-up or the ability to negotiate payment plans like you would at most mattress-specific retailers, which are constantly offering promotions and deals in an effort to stay competitive.



2.    Imitation Wood Products You’ll Use Every Day
Ikea is full of products that look like wood but are actually made of laminate or pressed wood—or wood particles glued together. These pieces are generally of lower quality and won’t last as long as the real thing. While purchasing accent furniture or bookshelves in this material might serve you well, you might find yourself replacing that laminate coffee or dining table within a year as the daily use will cause the laminate to peal away at the edges or become stained or scratched.

3.    Dinnerware
If you’re looking for a simple, no-frills dinner set, Ikea's $25 set of six plates, side plates, and bowls, might fit your needs. But you’d be able to find a similar set at Target or other retailers for the same price. And if you’d like your flatware to make a bit more of a statement, Ikea’s selection is lacking. While the Scandinavian purveyor offers more than enough ways to add flair to your pad at a reasonable price, their specialty is not stylish flatware. We recommend filling your Ikea cart with tabletop accents or fabulous wall decals, but scooping up china flatware when department stores like Macy’s offer sales because you’ll have much more inventory to choose from.

4.    Quality Cutlery
Any professional chef or avid home cook will tell you that a quality set of knives is essential. And unfortunately, quality requires investment. There’s no way the $10 set Ikea offers will provide the ease, precision, longevity, or efficiency that a professional knife set promises.
 
5.    Things with Complicated Assembly Instructions
Unless you’re a natural handyman (or know someone who is) or simply must have that bookshelf that comes in a gazillion pieces, be wary of some of the items that require a huge amount of DIY assembly.  Purchasing a fully-formed bookshelf elsewhere for a bit more might be worth what you save in time and sanity.

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10 Insider Grocery Savings Secrets

Insider Grocery Savings Secrets

Besides couponing, there are so many different ways to save money on your grocery bill -- if only you knew the ins and outs of your favorite store's policies and promotions. And how do you find that out?
"Just ask your store manager, who will happily tell you how to save the most at their store," says Annette Economides, who co-authored "Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America's Cheapest Family."

Nobody's advocating that you drive all over town to take advantage of every coupon, ad or reward program," says Ellie Kay, family financial expert. "The trick is finding the ones that are right for your shopping and spending style."
Grocery store managers, who preferred to be anonymous, offered tips and tricks on how to score the best values in their stores.

1. Know Your Store's Coupon Policies
Successful couponers know to look on a store's website for the printable coupon policy to help them get the best deals. For example, Kroger, Giant, Safeway and Acme Markets stores double or triple coupon face values in some states, usually on specific days and to specific limits. On a double coupon day, a $1 off coupon will be worth $2 off.
Kroger will waive the expiration date of coupons for military families living on bases. Publix allows coupon stacking (using a store coupon with a manufacturer's coupon); Walmart does not. But Walmart will apply any coupon overage (when savings are more than the final product cost) to your total grocery bill, while most other stores won't. Costco accepts no manufacturer coupons whatsoever while Publix will even honor competitors' coupons. Target will honor competing stores' coupons, but only if they are within 16 miles of its store.
Ask your store manager:
Is there a grace period on coupon expiration dates?
  Do you double or triple coupon face values?
  Can I stack coupons at your store?
  Do you have mobile coupons for my cell phone?
  How do you apply coupon overages?
  Do you match or accept other stores' coupons?

2. Use the Store's Loyalty Programs
Now more than ever, stores are trying to attract you with special rewards for shopping at their stores, but not all stores have these programs. At CVS, you can earn Extra Bucks (cash built up on your Extra Care rewards card) for qualifying purchases for use as cash off your next purchase. There's even a coupon machine in front of every store where Extra Care cardholders can scan their cards and get special unadvertised coupons (up to four at a time).
At Costco, an executive membership earns 2 percent cash-back rewards (up to $500 per year) on Costco purchases. At Winn-Dixie, if you don't scan your rewards card, all prices ring up at full price. It pays to know the ins and outs of each system, so you can take advantage of it, says Economides.
Ask your store manager:
Do you have a loyalty program?
  Do you give cash-back rewards?
  Does it provide additional savings on future purchases?
  How do I use it?
Can these savings be combined with other manufacturer or store coupons?
3. Stock Up at Dollar Stores, Outlets, Closeouts
These stores have a lot to offer, says Economides, especially when they sell a brand-name item you eat or use regularly. For example, Big Lots closeout stores provide an outlet for Pepperidge Farm, so if you love that brand, it pays to find out what day the truck arrives to take advantage of its products. If these stores offer a deal on items you regularly use, you should snatch up as many as you can afford and stockpile them, says Economides. "Watch out though, because some manufacturers will provide these outlets with a smaller size to sell for cheaper, so know your regular sizes and prices before buying." She also says these stores typically do not accept coupons of any type -- another reason to know your prices.
Ask your store manager:
 When does the (brand) truck come each week?
  Do you always carry (name brand)?
  Do you accept any coupons?
  Do you have a loyalty program?

4. Find the Final Markdowns and Clearance
You can score some really great bargains if you know where to look for final markdown items in your favorite stores, says Economides. For example, Publix provides a free-standing shelving rack with red-stickered grocery merchandise (never meat, produce or dairy) in a specific location in each store, while CVS usually provides final clearance merchandise either at the end of an aisle in the back of the store or sometimes on the bottom shelf where the product is usually displayed.
In contrast, Walmart denotes clearance merchandise with orange or blue stickers and marks down produce and bakery items in addition to clearance grocery items in different locations of each store. Kroger repackages broken egg cartons to include eggs of all sizes, clearly marked to clear out.

5. Understand Multiples and BOGOs
At some stores, a sign will say "Two for $5," but if you buy one, it costs $3. Other times, says Economides, 10 for $10 really means that no matter how many you buy, you still get the deal price at $1 each.
"Watch out for multiples," says Kay, because this is how they get you to spend more than you planned and they are not always the best deal, especially if you have to buy the quantity to get the deal price."
Buy-one-get-one deals, or BOGOs, can also get tricky. For example, at one store you might get two bags of BOGO chips for $3.99, but individually they cost $3.99. In such cases, of course, it doesn't pay to just get one. But at another store, the same chips might be $3.29 regularly or $2 each when on sale.

6. Do the Math
"Don't shy away from doing the math to determine the best deal. That's what cell phone calculators are for," says Kay.
Economides adds that many stores have shelf tags that show you the per-unit price so you can compare deals without doing any math.
But let's do the math and work out three competing Publix deals:
• 10 for $10 -- 32 oz. Powerade bottles (10 x 32 oz. = 320 oz., $10.00 ÷ 320 = $.031 per oz.)
• 3 for $5 -- 64 oz. Gatorade bottles (3 x 64 oz. = 192 oz., $5.00 ÷ 192 = $.026 per oz.)
• 2 for $5 -- 128 oz. Gatorade jugs (2 x 128 oz. = 256 oz., $5.00 ÷ 256 = $.019 per oz.)
With the largest two-jug deal you are clearly getting more fluids for less money, but you lose the convenience of smaller bottles. "Being able to quickly compare the deal, product size and unit price makes selecting the right one for you easier," says Economides.

7. 'Where's the Beef' Savings?
"Meat can be a large portion of any family's grocery bill, but there are many ways to save depending on the store," says Economides.
Her best deli tip: Look for "chubs." That's the word for a whole cooked ham, turkey breast or roast beef in the meat section. Then take it over to the deli section and ask them to slice it. You will save more than 50 percent over the brand-name and even store-name deli meats.
Many stores also have different meat expiration and promotion policies. For example, a Publix ground beef insider secret is that the "market ground" meat label means the beef could be ground from high-quality meat left over from an advertised special (never expired meat), which is a great way to get better-tasting, higher-quality ground beef. Just check the meat specials and ask the butcher.

8. Produce Savings in the Bag
Many stores mark down and repackage produce that might be below the standards for full-price display, but that is not the biggest secret in the produce department. Economides says that bulk packaged produce is usually less expensive -- up to 50 percent less expensive than loose produce -- because packaged produce is priced by the unit and not by the pound, as with loose produce.
She says that by law, each bag must contain at least the advertised weight. The big secret is that to avoid underweight-error problems, grocers will throw in an extra food item so you get a few more ounces in the bag. "Just weigh your bag and see how many extra ounces are provided and pick the heaviest one for the best deal -- especially if you eat a lot of apples, potatoes, grapefruits, etc."

9. Credit Card Rewards Add Up to Real Cash
Any time a store or credit card gives cash back, you should try to take advantage of it, Kay and Economides agree. Costco's TrueEarnings American Express card earns between 1 percent and 4 percent cash back depending on the type of purchase.
Target's RED debit and credit cards save you 5 percent on Target purchases every time you use them. Kroger has a 1-2-3 rewards credit card that earns points for purchases and rewards customers with cash to spend in Kroger. None of these cards has an annual fee.

0. Other Ways to Save
"There are so many different types of promotions and ways for you to take advantage of them, and the best thing is to be as informed as possible to find the ones that work for you," says Kay.
Here are some more specific perks at some stores:
 A mobile coupon program at Target allows coupons to be scanned directly from your phone.
The CVS email program notifies you of unadvertised specials.
 If a Publix clearance price rings up wrong, you get it for free.
 Whole Foods, CVS and Target offer reusable bag rebates that take cash off your final receipt.
 Register rewards from Winn-Dixie give you coupons for your next purchase.
 You can activate a Upromise account at a grocery store in your area to earn college money on items you're buying and saving on already.
 Many grocery stores offer special deals on their websites.

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6 types of purchases you should always charge on your credit card

6 types of purchases you should always charge on your credit card

Two of the most common features that consumers consider when they use a credit card are the interest rates and rewards .
For Greg McFarlane, author of "Control Your Cash: Making Money Make Sense," the most important feature of all is one that few people even recognize: "The main thing I care about as a consumer is the protection a credit card gives me," he says.
From travel insurance to fraud protection, these little-known credit card services can be worth thousands of dollars over the life of a card for those who spend the time to take advantage of them. "People don't usually take the time to read the information that's sent to them, and it's not what they're thinking about when they get a card," says Carrie Coghill, director of consumer education for FreeScore.com. "But the reality is that there are some good reasons to use a credit card, as long as you follow a few rules."
Just as there are some items you should never charge on a credit card , there are some you should -- that is, when you have the cash to pay a balance on time and in full. Because of key perks and protections embedded in many cards, you'll get what you pay for -- and then some.

1. Big-ticket items
From computers to home appliances, major purchases are almost always worth putting on a credit card, says Coghill. "Not only can you typically get extended warranties over and above the original warranty offered, but some cards will give you price protection," she says. "If you find a lower price within 60 days, you can be reimbursed the difference." That can be a lifesaver if your fridge goes on the fritz and you need a new one immediately. You may not get the best price when you buy it, but putting it on a credit card means you can price shop at your leisure and still get the benefit.
2. Service provider purchases
If you got new tile in your bathroom or new landscaping in your backyard, everything might have looked fine when it was installed and you paid for the service. But a week later, perhaps the grout is cracking or the shrubs have died. "If you paid with cash or a debit card, that money's already out the door," says McFarlane. "But if you pay with a credit card, the burden of proof is on the merchant to show that the work was done to your satisfaction." Because merchants who accept credit cards agree to the terms set by the card companies, the card company can exert serious leverage and charge back disputed purchases when one of its customers has been wronged.
3. Fragile or breakable items
That delicate vase was going to look gorgeous in your dining room -- before you tripped on a stair and smashed it to pieces. Your new laptop was going to change your life -- and then you dumped an entire cup of coffee on it. If you made the purchase on a credit card, you might not be out of luck, says Kim McGrigg, spokesperson for Money Management International, a national credit counseling agency. She also also writes the weekly Credit Cares Q&A column for CreditCards.com. "When a problem like this arises, people might think about contacting the store or the manufacturer," she says. "But in addition to these things, you should think about calling your credit card company." While you might only be able to recover a few hundred dollars in damages, it's certainly better than having to eat the entire cost yourself.
4. Travel expenses
Credit cards shouldn't be used to buy a trip you can't afford, but if the money's in the bank, you can put almost every travel expense on your card and see extra perks. Many cards offer an array of travel services, from automatic travel accident insurance , car rental insurance and lost luggage insurance. "There are cards that will even reimburse you for essentials if your luggage is delayed or if things are stolen from your hotel room," Coghill says.
5. Automatically recurring purchases
From gym memberships to cable packages to credit monitoring services, it's easy to sign up for monthly expenses and then find that you're not taking advantage of them. Sometimes it's easy to get taken off of subscriber rolls, but other times you'll need to get tough. "Some companies don't have the best reputation for customer service; they'll start automatic recurring payments but won't stop. Paying by credit card offers a layer of protection between you and the biller," says Liz Weston, author of " The 10 Commandments of Money ." If a call to the primary company won't stop the payments, a call to your credit card company will.
6. PayPal purchases
When you sign up for PayPal, the site will encourage you to pay sellers directly from your bank account, but that's not the wisest decision, says Weston. "The protections you get from those transactions are dictated by the method of payment you use," she says. "Transactions made using your bank accounts are governed by different federal regulations , which are inferior" to those of credit cards. Unplug your bank account from PayPal and make the credit card company as your middleman, and you'll have an easier time keeping your money in the bank if you're defrauded or need to dispute a purchase.

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First Person: Living a Six-Figure Lifestyle on a $30,000 Salary

First Person: Living a Six-Figure Lifestyle on a $30,000 Salary

Like millions of Americans out there, I like the nicer things in life. I have an affinity for high-end cars, designer clothing, and name-brand home furnishings.
There was a time when I had the six-figure income to afford these things. That was before the crash of what has now become known as the dot-com era. After losing many nice things, I learned that even living at one's means can be a risky proposition. So the challenge became how to continue to live that lifestyle while spending drastically less than I did before.
I wanted to figure out how I could afford these things at a $30,000-a-year salary, just in case I ever had another salary decrease. That planning all paid off when the great recession came. Here's how I learned to have a six-figure lifestyle with a $30,000 yearly budget.

How to Get the Big Home
This one was all about patience, hard work, and discipline. First: New homes are out of the question. They're generally overpriced. I almost bid on a couple of for-sale-by-owner homes, but just couldn't get the right combination of price and neighborhood. I focused on HUD homes and foreclosures, and learned quickly that banks don't want homes on their books. I found a HUD home in a neighborhood with prices averaging above $200,000. My home was more than 60% less than that. It required a bit of work -- I spent a lot of free time on it as a do-it-yourself project -- but in the end I had my nice home. No one knows that I paid less than $80,000 and that I have a monthly mortgage payment of less than $500.
Getting the Car to Match the Lifestyle
I'm a sport and luxury car enthusiast. First I wanted a Mustang, and this was the easiest deal of them all to find. I didn't go to dealers for this one. I went to Craigslist and the classified ads. I know many people will say that this is immoral, but I found a desperate seller who was willing to almost give the car to me because his notes were too high. I was happy, and he was happy to be rid of it. A simple refinancing and I had a car note for less than $150 per month. Not long after that I decided that I wanted a Lexus, and I did go through a dealer to get that one. I got a great deal on a used Lexus (I no longer buy new cars). Here's how I saved about $5,000 on that deal.
I Love Movado Watches
Anyone who knows me knows that I love Movado watches and will rarely, if ever, wear anything else. At a $30,000-a-year salary, I certainly can't afford to shell out $1,000 or $2,000 on a watch. So I had to find a new source. I began scouring Craigslist, eBay, and pawn shops for good deals on watches. I found three Movado watches that were used and paid less than $500 total for all three of them. I recently sold one of these watches on eBay for $600. I now wear watches valued at more than $800 each, and I basically paid nothing for them.

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Apple usurps Google as world's most valuable brand

Apple usurps Google as world's most valuable brand

 Apple has overtaken Google as the world's most valuable brand, ending a four-year reign by the Internet search leader, according to a new study by global brands agency Millward Brown.
The iPhone and iPad maker's brand is now worth $153 billion, almost half Apple's market capitalization, says the annual BrandZ study of the world's top 100 brands.
Apple's portfolio of coveted consumer goods propelled it past Microsoft to become the world's most valuable technology company last year.
Peter Walshe, global brands director of Millward Brown, says Apple's meticulous attention to detail, along with an increasing presence of its gadgets in corporate environments, have allowed it to behave differently from other consumer-electronics makers.

"Apple is breaking the rules in terms of its pricing model," he told Reuters by telephone. "It's doing what luxury brands do, where the higher price the brand is, the more it seems to underpin and reinforce the desire."
"Obviously, it has to be allied to great products and a great experience, and Apple has nurtured that."
By contrast, one of the brands most threatened by Apple's rising popularity in offices took a big hit in the survey.
Research In Motion's BlackBerry brand lost a fifth of its brand value. Among technology companies, only Nokia's 28 percent decline was steeper.
Of the top 10 brands in Monday's report, six were technology and telecoms companies: Google at number two, IBM at number three, Microsoft at number five, AT&T at number seven and China Mobile at number nine.
McDonald's rose two places to number four, as fast food became the fastest-growing category, Coca-Cola slipped one place to number six, Marlboro was also down one to number eight, and General Electric was number 10.
Walshe said demand from China was a major factor in the rise of fast-food brands. "The Chinese have been discovering fast food and it's such a vast market -- Starbucks, McDonald's... and pizza has hit China," he said.
"The way McDonald's has reinvented itself, adapted its menus, added healthy options, expanding the times of day it can be visited, for example oatmeal for breakfast... that allied with growth in developing markets has really helped that brand."

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American Ghost Towns of the 21st Century

American Ghost Towns of the 21st Century

There are several counties in America, each with more than 10,000 homes, which have vacancy rates above 55%. The rate is above 60% in several.

Most people who follow unemployment and the housing crisis would expect high vacancy rates in hard-hit states including Nevada, Florida and Arizona. They were among the fastest growing areas from 2000 to 2010. Disaster struck once economic growth ended.
Palm Coast, Fla., Las Vegas and Cape Coral, Fla., were all among the former high fliers. Many large counties which have 20% or higher occupancy rates are in these same regions. Lee County, Fla., Yuma County, Ariz., Mohave County, Ariz., and Osceola, Fla., each had a precipitous drop in home prices and increases in vacancy rates as homebuyers disappeared when the economy went south.
Data from states and large metropolitan areas do not tell the story of how much the real estate disaster has turned certain areas in the country into ghost towns. Some of the affected regions are tourist destinations, but much of that traffic has disappeared as the recession has caused people to sell or desert vacation homes and delay trips for leisure. This makes these areas particularly desolate when tourists are not around.
The future of these areas is grim. Our research showed that many have sharply declining tax bases which have caused budget cuts. Forecasts are calling for the fiscal noose to tighten on them even tighter.
These are the American Ghost Towns of the 21st century. Each has a population of more than 10,000 along with vacancy rates of more than 55%, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

1. Lake County, Mich.
Number of homes: 14,966
Vacancy rate: 66%
Population: 11,014
Lake County is located in central Michigan, a few hour's drive from the industrial cities of Flint, Pontiac and Detroit. It is in the heart of the state's fishing district and has been a vacation destination since the early years of the car industry. Many of those second home owners are now gone. This has helped drive nearly 20% of the residents below the poverty level and the median household income to under $27,000 a year.

2. Vilas County, Wis.
Number of homes: 25,116
Vacancy rate: 62%
Population: 21,919
Vilas County is located at the uppermost part of Wisconsin, near the border of the Northern Peninsula of Michigan. The county is plagued by two things. The first is that it has been a tourist area for Wisconsin residents. The second is that a significant part of the county's economy depends on the logging, forestry and construction industries, each of which struggled during the recession.

3. Summit County, Colo.
Number of homes: 29,842
Vacancy rate: 61%
Population: 26,843
Summit County sits northwest of the Pike National Forest and due west of Denver. The area is near to several major ski resorts. The local paper reports on revenue "The decrease isn't linked to the dramatic dip in assessed property values in Summit County, expected to be near 20 percent lower than in the previous valuation period. Those changes will show up in property tax bills starting in 2011."

4. Worcester County, Md.
Number of homes: 55,749
Vacancy rate: 60%
Population: 49,274
The Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation recently estimated that the county would have a sharp drop in its tax base in fiscal year 2012 and "another, more drastic, revenue decrease" for the fiscal year that follows. The twin engines of county's economy are tourism and agriculture. Experts believe the tourism business in Maryland's Eastern Shore could stay crippled for years.

5. Mono County, Calif.
Number of homes: 13,912
Vacancy rate: 59%
Population: 12,774
Mono County sits near the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite National Parks. Ironically, Bodie, the official state gold rush ghost town, is in Mono County. Finance Director Brian Muir recently said he expected another property drop in property tax receipts. Like most of the other counties on this list, tourism is a major source of revenue for its economy.

6. Dare County, N.C.
Number of homes: 33,492
Vacancy rate: 57%
Population: 95,828
Dare County includes the northern-most parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks. The situation in the vacation area is so severe that the "Outer Banks Voice" recently wrote, "If Dare County Manager Bobby Outten was intending to sound an alarm by suggesting that the EMS helicopter and school nurses were expendable in the next budget, he probably succeeded." His comments are unlikely to be terribly different from those of other executives of counties on the list. Vacant homes and homes which lose double-digit amounts of their value each year irreparably undermine the tax base. And, as services fall, fewer potential homeowners will consider investing in the area.

7. Dukes County, Mass.
Number of homes: 17,188
Vacancy rate: 57%
Population: 15,527
Dukes County encompasses the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. The enemy of the local budget is, as is true for most of the counties on this list, falling property values. Vacationers still flock to the resort island in the summer as do seasonal workers. The county is close to deserted when the weather turns cold.

8. Sawyer County, Wis.
Number of homes: 15,975
Vacancy rate: 56%
Population: 17,117
The Sawyer County website has a link, prominently placed on the homepage, which goes to a list of foreclosed homes for sales by the sheriff's department. There are not many new homebuyers. The number of people who live in the county was flat from 2000 to 2010. The Hayward Community School District, located in Sawyer, will probably close one of its elementary schools. Sawyer is a fishing and biking destination, and has suffered from a drop in travelers from the southern part of the state.

9. Burnett County, Wis.
Number of homes: 15,278
Vacancy rate: 55%
Population: 16,196
Burnett County is at the western most part of Wisconsin near Minneapolis. The county's population fell from 2000 to 2010. County Administrator Candace Fitzgerald recently said that proposed budget cuts "could prove to be devastating and very hard to recover from." The county's attractiveness as a tourist destination has faltered. Home values have fallen for three consecutive years. Cuts in the Wisconsin State budget will lower state aid. People are more likely to default and abandon vacation homes than their primary residences. This has probably been an important reason vacancy rates in rural tourist areas in Wisconsin are so high.

10. Aitkin County, Minn.
Number of homes: 16,029
Vacancy rate: 54%
Population: 15,736
Aitkin County offers visitors two seasons for recreation. The first is in the summer when fishing is popular. The second is winter when snowmobilers come north. Aitkin is the last of the counties on the 24/7 Wall St. list demonstrating that rural regions which rely on tourists are especially exposed to economic hardship in a recession. They may take longer to recover than some industrialized cities do.

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5 Little Cuts for Big Savings

5 Little Cuts for Big Savings

Saving Just a Little
Saving without making drastic cuts to your household budget sounds too good to be true, but it is possible with the right approach.
If your goal is to funnel a small percentage of your income into your savings, you probably don't need to rethink everything. Instead, you can hit your savings target by adjusting your lifestyle.
So what's the catch? You have to know where to look. And once you find places to save money, you need to put that money into a savings account.
Rethink Your Cable
While cable TV rates vary by region, most subscribers have something in common, says Julie Murphy Casserly, president of JMC Wealth Management in Chicago.
"They're probably overspending based on what they actually use," Casserly says.
According to Casserly, the solution isn't to make drastic cuts on home entertainment but rather to set up a system where you pay only for the programming you watch. On the one hand, that means making your plan as basic as you can. But it also means doing something a little counterintuitive to anyone watching their budget. Use pay-per-view and on-demand offerings in lieu of expensive movie channel subscriptions, Casserly says.
"I advise this with all my clients, and on average, they save between $40 and $100 a month because they only pay for what they watch," she says.
Monitor Online Deal Sites
You can save money by shopping online. But you have to approach it with the right mindset.
Casserly advises subscribing to a few popular deal websites such as Groupon or LivingSocial. The sites offer deep discounts on local services and products, essentially allowing customers to buy store credits at up to half off that are redeemed later. But don't be lured to buy something you don't need.
"Buy only what you would have bought anyway," Casserly says.
For example, if you see your favorite local restaurant offering a deal, it pays to grab it because you'll be able to discount the bill on your next visit.
Buy Bulk Gift Cards and Tickets
You can also save money on gift cards if you're able to buy them at a bulk discount, Casserly says.
"I buy gift cards for my favorite chains at Costco and get 20 percent off on a $100 card," she says.
The key is discipline, Casserly says. If you pounce on every deal that's offered, you'll actually increase your monthly spending.


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10 More Reasons You Need to Quit Your Job Right Now

10 More Reasons You Need to Quit Your Job Right Now!

 James Altucher has spurred much debate over the years here at Yahoo!'s The Daily Ticker with the notion of why never to own a home again and why not to spend your money on your kid's college education. And, today is no different.
Today he's telling us why many of us need to quit our job as soon as financially possible. Why? His main reason is that the majority of people are too unhappy in their current position.
Without further ado, in his own words here are James Altucher's 10 reasons you need to (and can) quit your job right now and methods for doing it.


The following has been provided by James Altucher:
Reason #1: Safety
We used to think you get a corporate job, you rise up, you get promoted, maybe you move horizontally to another division or a similar company, you get promoted again, and eventually you retire with enough savings in your IRA.
That's all gone.

That myth disappeared in 2008. It really never existed but now we know it's a myth. Corporate CEOs kept their billion dollar salaries and laid off about 20 million people and sent the jobs to China. Fine, don't complain or blame other people. But your job is not safe.
Reason #2: Home
Everyone thinks they need a safe job so they can save up to buy a home and also qualify for a mortgage. Mortgage lenders at the banks like people who are like them — other people locked in cubicle prison
Well now you don't need to worry about that. Here's why you should never own a home in the first place. Save yourself the stress.
Reason #3: College

Everyone thinks they need to save up to send their kids to college. Depending on how many kids you have and where you want them to go to college it could cost millions.
Well now we know you don't need to send your kid to college. So you don't need to stress about that money anymore.
Reason #4: Their boss
Most people don't like their boss. It's like any relationship. Most of the time you get into a relationship for the wrong reasons. Eventually you're unhappy. And if you don't get out, you become miserable and scarred for life.
Reason #5: Their coworkers
See above.

Reason #6: Fear
We have such a high unemployment rate, people are afraid if they leave the job they are miserable at, they won't be able to get a job. This is true if you just walk into your boss's office and pee on his desk and get fired. But its not true if you prepare well. More on that in a bit.
Reason #7: The Work
Most people don't like the work they do. They spend 4 years going to college, another few years in graduate school, and then they think they have to use that law degree, business degree, architecture degree and then guess what? They hate it. But they don't want to admit it. They feel guilty. They are in debt. No problem. Read on.

Reason #8: Bad things happen
All the stuff I mention in the post "10 Reasons You Need to Quit Your Job" start to happen. And it gets worse and worse. You don't want to look back at your life and say, "man, those were the worst 45 years of my life." That wouldn't feel good.
Reason #9: The economy is about to boom.
I don't care if you believe this or not. Stop reading the newspaper so much. The newspapers are trying to scare you. Bernanke just printed up a trillion dollars and airlifted it onto the US economy. Who is going to scoop that up. You in your cubicle? Think again.

Reason #10: Your job has clamped your creativity
You do the same thing every day. You want to be jolted, refreshed and rejuvenated.
Note: Some people love their jobs. This is not for them but the 90% who don't.
Henry and Aaron asked a good question: you still need to support yourself, you still need to support your family, you can't just walk into your boss's office and quit.
Good point. You need to prepare. It's like training for the Olympics if you feel now is the time to move on from your job. You need to be physically ready, emotionally (don't quit your job and get divorced on the same day for instance), mentally (get your idea muscle in shape) and spiritual all ready.

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How to Retire on $60,000 a Year

How to Retire on $60,000 a Year

If you're a middle income family, you might be wondering how much money you're going to need to retire. Let's take a look at a 66-year-old couple that's been earning $60,000 a year and see what the numbers tell us.

Social Security
If you've been earning about $60,000 a year and want to retire at your full retirement age of 66, your current Social Security benefit would be about $1,500 a month, or $18,000 a year. Now if you're married, your spouse will basically collect at least half of this amount ($9,000), even if your spouse never worked. That means your estimated combined Social Security benefit at age 66 today would be about $27,000.
If you're getting $27,000 in Social Security benefits and want to retire on $60,000, you need to somehow make up the other $33,000. The only way to do that is to live off the returns on your retirement savings (unless you happen to have a pension, which most people don't).
So at age 66, how much money would you need to have saved to produce $33,000 a year in distributions and not run a big risk of depleting your savings?
Well, there's no precise answer to this question because financial market returns are so volatile. But from studying history, we can get a reasonable sense of what it will take.
A good estimate is that a portfolio can support inflation-adjusted distributions of between 4% and 5% per year, depending on market conditions. So if you're unlucky and retire during a bear market, you might be stuck at 4%. It you're a little more fortunate and financial returns are positive, then you could probably do 5%.
• The reality is that over your retirement years, you'll have good and bad market cycles. So sometimes you'll need to drop your distribution to 4% to get through a rough market, and sometimes you can bump it to 5% in better times.
That means to produce $33,000 of inflation-adjusted distributions, you would need somewhere between $660,000 and $825,000 in retirement savings.
• A 5% distribution on $660,000 gets you $33,000, and a 4% distribution on $825,000 gets you $33,000.
Now that might seem like a lot of money, but it's about right. And the main reason you need so much is because of inflation. If inflation runs at 3% for the next 25 years, your initial distribution would need to grow from $33,000 to about $66,000. Well, if you're taking out $66,000 a year, you can see that even a $660,000 portfolio probably won't last too long.

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5 Places to Retire for Under $500 Per Month

Housing is likely to be one of your biggest retirement expenses. One way to approach your search for the ideal overseas retirement haven is to focus on retire-overseas choices where housing is cheap.
It's important to note that, for these bargain rents, you won't be getting a palatial or luxurious abode. I'm limiting my picks to places where you could rent something modest and cozy but reasonably outfitted from a North American's perspective. Here are five places where you could rent for as little as $500 per month...............read more here

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5 Places to Retire for Under $500 Per Month

Housing is likely to be one of your biggest retirement expenses. One way to approach your search for the ideal overseas retirement haven is to focus on retire-overseas choices where housing is cheap.
It's important to note that, for these bargain rents, you won't be getting a palatial or luxurious abode. I'm limiting my picks to places where you could rent something modest and cozy but reasonably outfitted from a North American's perspective. Here are five places where you could rent for as little as $500 per month...............read more here

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Tax day countdown 3 days left

What happens now that it's Tax Day and you know you can't file your income tax return on time?
You could simply ignore the problem and hope the Internal Revenue Service doesn't notice. Not a good idea. If you have filed before, the IRS will notice, and you will probably pay penalties.
You could always panic.
Or you could use Schnepper's easy, short-term fix: File for an extension. It's a snap.

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Tax day countdown 3 days left

What happens now that it's Tax Day and you know you can't file your income tax return on time?
You could simply ignore the problem and hope the Internal Revenue Service doesn't notice. Not a good idea. If you have filed before, the IRS will notice, and you will probably pay penalties.
You could always panic.
Or you could use Schnepper's easy, short-term fix: File for an extension. It's a snap.

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Top 25 cities for credit card debt

If you live in San Antonio, you may want to go easy on those credit cards for a while. Same thing for many other Texans and lots of people living in Florida or Georgia.Residents of those areas dominate a newly released list of the 25 U.S. cities that had the most credit card debt at the end of last year. Many people may have overdone it during the holidays and are still dealing with the aftermath, according to the study by Experian, a financial and information services company best known by consumers as one of the three major credit bureaus in the U.S."The message is that you need to be aware of the balance that you're carrying, and you need to make sure that you can carry it with some comfort," said Rod Griffin, Experian's director of public education. "Any kind of financial hiccup could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back."

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Top 25 cities for credit card debt

If you live in San Antonio, you may want to go easy on those credit cards for a while. Same thing for many other Texans and lots of people living in Florida or Georgia.Residents of those areas dominate a newly released list of the 25 U.S. cities that had the most credit card debt at the end of last year. Many people may have overdone it during the holidays and are still dealing with the aftermath, according to the study by Experian, a financial and information services company best known by consumers as one of the three major credit bureaus in the U.S."The message is that you need to be aware of the balance that you're carrying, and you need to make sure that you can carry it with some comfort," said Rod Griffin, Experian's director of public education. "Any kind of financial hiccup could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back."

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5 Ways to Torpedo Your Retirement

Couples who work hard all their lives often eagerly look forward to retirement. But working for 30 or more years doesn't guarantee that you will be able to retire comfortably. Here are five common retirement planning errors that generally torpedo your ability to retire.

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5 Ways to Torpedo Your Retirement

Couples who work hard all their lives often eagerly look forward to retirement. But working for 30 or more years doesn't guarantee that you will be able to retire comfortably. Here are five common retirement planning errors that generally torpedo your ability to retire.

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